Friction-buffer for railway-cars.



J. F. O'CONNOR. FRICTION BUFFER FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6,1913.

Patented Jan. 19, 1915.

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I15 A TTOR J. F. OCONNOR.

FRICTION BUFFER FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION rum) JUNE 6, 1913.

1,125,383.. Patented Jan.19,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' 11v T WITNESSES: PEN OR d KOZ 0 2244 755 4 (7 I-ILS'ATTO UNITED sTATEs PriTENT nnio JOHN F. OCON'NOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T WILLIAM H. MINER, 0F

. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FRICTION-BUFFER FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 19, 1915.

Application filed-Tune 6, 1913. Serial No. 772,028.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN F. OCoNNoR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Friction-Buffers for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description,

' reference being had to the accompanying cap engages the wedge member.

drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in friction buffers for railway cars.

The object of my invention is to provide a friction buffer of cheap construction and eflicient operation. 1

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in central longitudinal section on line 11 of Fig. 2 of a friction passenger car buffer embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in horizontal section on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view partly in horizontal section of the compression resisting member showing the position of the parts when the spring Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in horizontal section of the compression resisting member showing the position of the parts when fully compressed. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the spri-ngcap. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the primary wedge. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the secondary wedge. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the friction blocks.

Referring to the drawings 9 represents a portion of the front end frame of a railway passenger car, 10 the buffer cage or frame, 11 a floor plate of the vestibule of the car, 12 the buffer plate, 13 the foot or chafe plate, 14 the buffer bar, 15 side stems, the rear portion of the same being broken away, 16 the main transom casting.

The numeral 17 represents the -c ompression resisting member.

The buffer cage or frame 10 forms a part pression resisting member in position.

The compression resisting member 17 comprises a spring cap 23, .a preliminary spring 24, friction member 25, a shell 26 and the spring plates 27. The shell 26 is a hollow member, preferably rectangular in shape open at its forward end and closed at its rear end by the preferably integral plate 28. In preferable construction the plate 28 is provided with a central opening 29 to facilitate the proper casting of the shell. At either side the shell is provided with the openings 30 to facilitate the assembling within the shell of the spring plates 27 and the follower 31. Near its forward end the shell is provided at either side with the prlmaryinterna'l friction faces 32 and the secondary friction faces 33. The primary friction faces 32 are located forwardly of the secondary friction faces 33, the distance between the primary friction faces being substantially the same as the distance between the secondary friction faces, and in preferable construction the secondary friction face 33 on the one side of the shell bemg substantially parallel to the primary friction face 32 on the same side of the shell. All ofsaid friction faces angle outwardly and rea-rwardly in their relation to the central longitudinal line of the shell.

The friction members comprise the primary wedge 34 hereinafter described, the primary fricion blocks 35, 35, the secondary wedge 36, the secondary friction blocks 37, 37 and the follower 31. The friction blocks are each preferably triangular in cross-section, each having three friction faces 38, 38,

'38. One face of each of the primary friction blocks engages the adjacent wedging face 39 of the primary wedge 34, another face engages the adjacent primary friction face 32 of the shell, and the other face of each of said primary friction blocks engages the forward face 40 of the secondary wedge 36. The secondary wedge 36 is forwardly provided with the said friction face 40, and is rearwardly ner face of the shell 26 is preferably concave, and between said rear face and the said follower is disposed a plurality of spring plates 27.

The primary wedge 34 is provided with a hollow forwardly extended stem 45, which is adapted to enter the rearward opening 46 in the spring cap 23 and reciprocate therein. The spring cap. 23 is forwardlv' provided with a preferably fiat plate 47 against which the rear end of the buffer bar engages, and is interiorly provided with a rearwardly extending boss 48 around which is disposed the preliminary spring 24, the said preliminary spring being seated at its forward end against the inner face 49 of the spring cap, and at-its rearward end against the inner face 50 of the hollow stem of the primary wedge. The boss 48 within the spring cap 23 is provided with a recess 51v to receive the head 52 of the connecting rod 53, which passes through the central perforations 54 in the primary wedge, and the perforations 55, 55 through the secondary wedge, and the perforation 56 in the follower, the said follower 31 being provided in its rearward face with a recess 57 to receive the nut 58 of the said connecting rod.

The plate 47 with which the forward end of the spring cap is provided is preferably removable to permit the insertion of the connecting rod through the spring cap in assembling the parts of the compression resisting member. The primary wedge 34 is provided with the outwardly extended shoulders 59 against which the rear end 60 of the spring cap is adapted to engage on compression of the preliminary spring 24.

On rearward movement of the bufler bar 14 the spring cap 23 is forced rearwardly, compressing the preliminary spring 24 until the rear end of the spring cap 60 engages the shoulders 59 of the primary wedge 34,

and the rear end 61 of the boss 48 of the spring cap engages the inner face 62 of the wedge, the primary wedge then spreading and forcing rearwardly the primaryfriction blocks 35, 35, the same being in frictional engagement with said primary wedge, the primary friction faces 32. of the shell, and engaging the forward face 40 of the secondary wedge. Meanwhile the primary friction blocks force the secondary wedge rearwardly, the said secondary wedge spreading and forcing rearwardly the secondary friction blocks 37, the same being in frictional engagement with the secondary wedge, the secondary friction faces 33 of the shell, and"engaging the forward face 42 of the follower 31. The follower meanwhile is forced 'rearwardly by the secondary friction blocks, and in its rearward movement flexes the spring plates between its rear face and the inner rear face of the shell 26.

The shoulders 63, 63 with which the shell,

'ing the rearward travel-of the secondary friction blocks.

In the action of the parts of the compression resisting member just described the friction blocks are in frictional engagement with a wedging member on one side and with a friction face of the shell on the other side, and because of the relative arrangement of the primary friction blocks and the secondary friction blocks the line of pressure from one set to the other set is direct. Also because of the arrangement of the blocks of the secondary set directly behind the friction blocks of the primary set there is no undue torsional strain upon the friction blocks, and a perfect frictional engagement is afforded between the wedge of each set and the adjacent'friction faces ofv the shell. The friction blocks in preferable construction are provided with faces of equal width, that is, they are in cross section equilateral triangles, and the distance traveled by the primary wedge is twice that traveled by the secondary wedge, and the distance traveled by the secondary wedge is twice that traveled by the follower.

The arrangement of friction blocks and wedges hereinbefore described permits the use of a friction shell of comparatively short length, and also by reason of the spacing of the primary friction blocks a strong wedge of comparatively great widthmay be employed. The employment of the connecting rod affords a means of taking up the wear of the parts, and thus affords a 'constant total length of the compression resisting member. The connecting rod passing through the secondary wedge prevents lat 1 o eral movement of the same, and thus insures the perfect positioning of the wedge when in action between the secondary friction blocks.

I claim 1. In the compression resisting member of a friction buffer for railway cars, a shell; springs, a follower, primary and secondary wedges and friction blocks within the shell, the shell being internally provided with shoulders adapted to engage the secondary wedge and limit the movement of the friction blocks.

2. In the compression resisting member of a friction buffer for railway cars, a spring cap, a primary wedge, a preliminary spring interposed between the spring cap and primary wedge, a shell, springs, a follower, secondary friction blocks, a secondary wedge, primary friction blocks Within the .180

shell, the follower being interposed between the springs and secondary friction blocks,

and a connecting rod connecting the springs cap and followers, the said connecting rod passing through the secondary wedge to prevent lateral movement of said wedge.

3. In a compression resisting member of a friction buffer for railway cars, a shell, springs and friction mechanism within the shell, the shell being internally provided with primary and secondary friction faces each oblique to the central line of the shell and substantially equidistant therefrom, the friction mechanism comprising primary friction blocks and a primary wedge, sec- -ondary friction blocks and a secondary Wedge, and a follower, the follower being interposed between the secondary friction blocks and the spring, the secondary wedge being interposed between the secondary friction blocks and the primary friction blocks, the primary friction blocks being adapted on pressure of the primary wedge to travel twice the length of travel of the secondary wedge, and the secondary wedge being adapted to travel twice the length of travel of the follower.

4. In the compression resisting member of a friction buffer for railway cars, a shell, friction mechanism within the shell and including a wedge, said wedge being provided with a hollow stem,-a hollow spring cap, said cap and wedge being telescoped, and a preliminary spring seated within said wedge and cap, said wedge and cap being provided with portions adapted to engage upon inward movement of the cap to limit the compression of the preliminary spring.

JOHN F. OCONNOR. Witnesses: ELEANOR L. NAsH, J onri A. MABTINKUS. 

